Wind-shield for wheels.



T. SLOPER.

WIND SHIEH) FORWHEELS; APPLICATION [ILED szpnzs. I916.

1,223,743 Patent-ed Apr. 24,1917.

UNITED STATES THOMAS SLOPEB, F WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND.

WIND-SHIELD FOR WHEELS.

subject of the King of England, residing at Wiltshifjdlfingland, have invented certain new and ilseful Improvements in -Wind- Shields for l'Vheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to wind-shields for wheels and is particularly applicable to aeroplane wheels which, as is Well-known, are required to offer as little wind resistance as possible. The shield is preferably of canvas or other flexible material and is of the type described in the specification of my earlier Patent No. 1167124 dated 4th January shields. In. this earlier patent specification the shield is described as made in the form of a disk and connected by spring-controlled hoolr ,3 the rim of the wheel which is provided w h perforations to receive the hooks. It I... found that the wheel offers considerably less wind resistance if the elds, instead of extending from the rim to the center of the wheel extend from the sides of the tire to the center of the wheel,

but difiiculty has been experienced in proriding a connecting means between the tire and shield whereby the shield can be readily'connected and disconnected and yet securely fastened to the tire.

When hooks such as are described in my earlier patent specification were engaged with fastenings in the tire, it was found that the hooks and the fastenings tended to tear away through the action of the tire when the aeroplane wheel struck the ground or when it was runningon distortion of the tire at such times is considerable, and therefore it is necessary to provide some connection which" allows considerable free movement of the fastenings on the tire relatively to the periphery of the shield with which such fastcnings are connected.

According to this invention there iscombined with a (lislolikc wind-shield for a pneumatically tired wheel, peripherally dis posed links for connecting the shield by its edge to fastcnings secured in the side of the tire, which links are so connected to the shield'and to the sald fastenings that they can swingfreely in the c1rcumferent'1al di- Specification of Letters Patent.

1916 wind the ground. The.

rection of the wheel for the purpose of enabling the shield to accommodate itself to distortions of the tire without the tire fastenings or links being torn away.

Preferably the link is itself rigid but can swing about its connection to the shield and about the fastening to the tire. It may be made in the form of a hook' whereof the shank-end is an eye which is connected, say, to a spring fastening in the periphery of the shield, and the other end has a spring tongue to allow engagement with, but which closes against accidental disengagement from. the fastening in the tire.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one method of carrying out this invention Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

Application filed September 29, 1916. Serial No. 122,831.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a.

portion of a pneumatic tire and wheel'rim the spring fastenings within it to which thelinks are attached, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of'the spring fastenings of the shield with the link thereon. v

.The same letters indicate the same parts throughout the drawings.

The tire A hassecured on each side a series of wire fastenings B. These are placed on each side neur that portion which extends out to the greatest lateral limit, or they may be placed right along the line of greatest lateral projection. The shield C is formed of flat wire bent into a loop,: one

either flat or conical in form and may loop and is on the side which is periphin which a series of spring end oi?- the wire constituting a hook E atone end of the loop and the other end of the wire being made to constitute a spring tongue E n the end of whiehlies opposite the end of the hook and thus obstructs accessto and from the hook. remote end of the hook E and prevents accidental detachment. i

When the tire A is distorted either by it tends to leave a gapbetween the tire and the shield which causes eddy currents when passing through the air.

It will be appreciated that the tire andv 5 shank which is engaged with the loops D shield connected as described are subject to on thes ning fasteningzs D. Each link-E is relative local movements due to the distormade long enough toembrace and extend tion of the tire, which movements are both beyond the side of the. spring fastening radial and cireumferential, The radialmovewhich lies against the extreme edge of the ment is compensated for by the spring-fes 1o pocket C of the shield and the link can tenings, and the object of the. links is to 75 swing freely .in the circulnfe'rential direcin'ovide for the circumferential 'l'novements, tion of the shield tn \Vhttl: in Fig. l the po- The invention is not restricted to any pa sit'ion to which the link can swine in'each diticular form of spring-fastening and the rec'tion is indicated in dotted lines. links may be variously formed solong. as

The dimensions of the shield are such the; allow the necessary'free circnmferen- 80,

that when secured in. place. the links E are tial movement within givei-rlimits; for inunder tension and the ends D of the spring stance, instead of being rigid links swinging fastenings are under compression. that by means of a hinging: action on the 'tireto saygthe free ends D are forced slightly fastenings and spring-fastcnings, they may' toward the outer edge of the pocket of be flexible links which may swing freely byl35 the shield. The link E are engaged with reason of,thei.r floxibilitywhe'ther they hinge the faste-nings 13' by springin g back the or not (in the tire-fastenings and springtongue E so. that the hook 16 can engage fastenings. 7 the fastening, and the springtongue E then \Vhat I claim as my invention and desire :35 resun'ies its position in alinenient with the to secure by Letters Patent -is:-

1. In a wind-shield for a wheel the combination of a shield of flexible material shaped to cover the side of the wheel andofrl running 'upon the ground. or as when strlka diameter less'than the combined diameter ing the ground during the landingbf the of the wheel and tire, links secured to th8..5

aircraft, the freedom of the links bl to move about the eyes D in the t'il't'lllllltl'tlltltll (l1- rection of the wheel and alsotheir freedom to swing about the fastenings l3, allows conishicld around the periphery in such manner that they can swing iii-the circumferential direction of the shield, and fasteners on the side of the tire to. receive those ends of the' siderable relative disphicement. of the tire. links which project beyond "the shield, the 1Qt1=- and shield without such strain being 'put connection between the links and fasteners 1 upon the spring: 'l'asteni'ngs l) 'or the, tirebein; such that the links an swing relatively" fastenings B as to tear themoutof place. to them in the circumferential direction of lhefr )r1n.,.of fastening described in my the shield, substantially as and for the pur- ,0 'arlier. liatent. No. 11137124 already referred pose set forth. 105

to, allowed for no nnn ement. between the in a wind-shield fora wheel the combij hook and the spring fastenil'lg except such nation of a shield of flexible material shaped as would result from the yielding ofthe' to coverthe side of the Wheel and .of zkdi hook and fastening combined which wereametcr less than the combined",diameter v formed as an integral piece from resilient thew-heel and tire; a series of rigid links d1S= 110 wire. This in some cases is not found to be posed around the periphery ofthc Shield and sullicient to prevent the tire fastenings fronr-each connected thereto by one .end in such being, torn out of the tire. or the spring fasmanner that. it can swing in the circumferen tenings out of the shield. The free movetial direction of the shield, and fasteners on inent of the links I). which take. the: place the side of the tire. whiclfengage the other-1'15 of the hooks in thefastening, described in ends of the links in such manner that they my'earlier patentspeeifitaition. obtained by can swing on the-fasteinu's in the circnmconnecting the. link to the spring fastening ferel-itial direction of the. shield, substan in such manner that it can swing relatively tially as and for the purpose set forth.

to the spring fastening, is found to prevent 3. ln a vind-shield for a wheel the combithe tearing-away of the connected parts; nation of: shield ofi-llexible material shaped The advantage of situatinc the yielding to cover tl e side of the Wheel and of a diside of the spring fastenings I) on that side amter .less than the combined diameter of .of-each fasteningfarthest from the periphthe, wheel'and tire, a series of resilient fas ry of the shield is that it enables the portenings strut-ed to; the periphery of the tion of each link which protrudes from the shield. a-litnk connected to each fastening in shield to be kept short though the link itself such mam er that the link projects beyond can thus be made long enough to permit its the periphinw of the shield and can swing in easv operation. I f the portion of the link the (:ircuniforential direction of the same,

65 which protrudes from the shield is too long and fastenimgs on the side of the tire to 115- nation of a shield of flexible material shaped to cover the side of the wheel and of a diameter less than the combined diameter of the wheel and tire. a series of fastenings disposed in a peripheral pocket in the shield,

each fastening being of wire bent to provide a broad thrusting face against the peripheral edge of the pocket, the two ends of the wire being bent inward toward the center of the shield and then toward each other to provide a resilient portion, links connected each by one end to the resilient portion provided by the fastenings in the shield, the connection between these fastening's and the links being such that the latter can swing in the circumferential direction of the shield and fastenings on the side of the tire to receive the ends of the links which project from the shield, the connection between those fastenings and the links also being such that the links can, swing in the circumferential direction of the shield, substantially as and for the pur ose set forth.

In testimony whereo I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS SLOPER.

Witnesses:

HAROLD PARSONS,. EDWARD KNIVETON. 

